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The Crime Controversy: Avoiding Realities, David L. Bazelon

Vanderbilt Law Review

Speaking before the nation's police chiefs last fall, President Reagan said, "The frightening reality is that for all the speeches by those of us in Government-for all the surveys, studies, and blue ribbon panels--for all the 14-point programs and the declarations of war on crime--crime has continued its steady, upward climb and our citizens have grown more and more frustrated, frightened,and angry."'I must concur with the President's depressing picture. In the thirty-two years that I have been on the bench, the "war against crime" has been a high national priority. Nevertheless, crime--and the fear of crime--seem worse today than ever …